Colton Underwood Has a Surprising Message for Tia Booth After Their 'Bachelor in Paradise' Breakup

Tia Booth might not be so thrilled with Colton Underwood after their
breakup, but the 26-year-old former NFL player has nothing but kind
words for his ex.
The two went their separate ways on Monday night's episode of Bachelor in
Paradise, conveniently just one night before our next Bachelor is set
to be announced on Good Morning America. A source previously told ET
that producers had three men in the running, including Jason Tartick,
Blake Horstmann and Colton.

During their emotional split, a tearful Tia told Colton that he needed
to take some time to "figure yourself out." The two then shared a
lengthy hug and put an end to a romance six months in the making.

After their breakup aired, Colton took to Instagram for one last goodbye
message. "Thank you for teaching me even more about myself, and most
importantly, for your friendship that I know will continue far beyond
Paradise," he wrote. "Don’t settle for anything less than the world,
because that’s what you deserve. Can’t wait to see what the future has
in store for you and catch up on life some day, preferably over a hot
dog dinner."

Tia, meanwhile, might not have the fondest of memories from Paradise.
"Y’all ever had a bad breakup with someone you wanted so bad? Ever had
to watch it back on national television? #woof," she tweeted.

During the Bachelor in Paradise reunion taping last week, Tia opened up
about rumors that Colton might be our next Bachelor -- and didn't seem
too excited by the idea.

"I don't know that he's ready," she confessed. "I don't."

"I mean, it was just about two months ago that I was telling him that he
really needs to figure himself out before he can fully be with someone
else," Tia said, adding that she's pulling for Jason instead. "If
there's a chance that Colton is the Bachelor, I would hope that he is
fully ready for that experience knowing that he wants to be engaged at
the end of it."

Bachelor host Chris Harrison, meanwhile, recently told ET that he could
see several benefits to Colton as the next franchise lead.

"If he’s single, Colton would be a very interesting Bachelor. We look at
a lot of things when picking the Bachelor, and good TV and good story
is a lot of it. Colton has all that in spades," he said. "There’s the,
'Is he ready for this?' angle with Tia, and is that still hanging over
him? Obviously, we’ll see how that plays out in Paradise."

"Then there’s the virgin angle. We have this guy who was brought to
tears during "Men Tell All" about dealing with this. If he’s willing to
put that on display as the Bachelor, I would find that fascinating in
this day and age," Chris added. "The women having to deal with that -- I
think it would be a fascinating story. And that’s a lot of what makes a
good Bachelor. It’s a compelling argument if he’s single and willing to
do it."

Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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